Copper Sun

There are so many opportunities to connect English with other classes and Copper Sun is one of those opportunities. I believe I learned about the slave trade sophomore year of high school which is about the age I would recommend for this novel because Amari and Polly are about 15 years old. It would be really interesting to teach this novel while the students learn about the slave trade in History because it gives more detail to the hardships of the slave trade than a textbook ever could.
The hardships discussed in this novel were more detailed than anything I have ever read about the slave trade. It is hard to imagine what Africans went through on the ships and in America but Draper paints a picture of disease, starvation, and of course the beating like how Mr. Derby beats Amari. Even though these are difficult to read about, it is good for students to see more than a textbook description of slavery.
With all of these adolescent novels we tend to discuss who the students will be able to relate to. There are elements about these characters that students will be able to relate to like how Polly has a crush on Nathan, but I think there is a deeper element that students can learn from in this novel. Most of us will teach in classrooms that have some sort of diversity, and I think African-American students would especially appreciate learning about their ancestors in this novel (even though it is fiction). Like I said before this novel gives more detail than a history book ever could which is what makes it interesting.

The Maze Runner

This book was difficult to get into because of the language just like Feed was. After getting used to the terminology the story was quite interesting. To me it seemed very similar to The Hunger Games and I'm sure young adults would think so too. The difference between this story and The Hunger Games lies in the character profiles. I don't think Thomas is a character that students can easily relate to because I didn't feel the story gave him enough of an emotional side the way The Hunger Games does with Katniss.
I don't think I would use this book in my classroom, especially not after reading Feed. Feed had many themes that I think would be more interesting to discuss with a classroom of high school students. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with The Maze Runner, I just think the issues in Feed are more interesting and would lead to better discussions.

Feed

Feed was definitely a breath of fresh air after the novels we have been reading. It was nice to read about something that wasn't just another teenage drama. Of course Feed has elements of a teenage drama but it also has complex themes like consumerism, data mining, privacy issues, and the future of technology. I think it would be interesting to explore these themes with students of any high school age.
Students use technology more than the average person because they are young enough to know what's new, and smart enough to use it to every advantage possible. If I were to teach this to a high school class I would want students to discuss their use of technology and how it is different or similar to Feed. I explored this idea more in-depth in my webquest as just a simple two page reaction, but it could be lengthened to an experiment. Students could see how much they rely on technology by pledging to spend twenty four hours "unplugged." I think this would not only be a great lesson to go along with Feed, but it would also clear their minds for a discussion about the role technology plays in their lives.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I really enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I think students would be able to relate to some of the characters, but I think the most important aspect of this story is that students can learn about how people think. Charlie might not be a character everyone can relate to on account of his being a wallflower. Students who are outgoing might see Charlie as people in Charlie's class see him at times--a freak. Since the story is told from Charlie's point of view I think students would be able to at least understand why he is the way he is if they are unable to relate to him. This teaches students that everyone has a story and no story is the same.

I have something I would like everyone to weigh-in on. Why does Charlie choose to name some characters and not others? Charlie's sister, his parents, and his sister's boyfriend remain nameless in his letters. Charlie has no problem naming almost everyone else in his life so it is not on account of remaining anonymous. He even chooses to name insignificant characters like people he sees when he is out and about who are only mentioned in one letter. As I sit here writing this I am trying to rule out the reasons for Charlie's nameless family. It can't be because they are the closest to him because he would probably argue his friends are the closest and they all have names. The only reason I can think of is Charlie does not refer to his parents by their first names because he does not do that in real life, and he mentions that he writes like he speaks. His sister remaining nameless is not explained by this however because most siblings refer to each other by name (most of the time).